What’s the difference between hammer toe, mallet toe, and claw toe?

Hammer toe, claw toe, and mallet toe are all conditions that can cause deformities in your toe joints and make them bend abnormally. The difference is which toe joints are affected. 

• hammer toes are a bend in the second (middle) toe joint

• mallet toes are a bend in the third (end) toe joint

• claw toes occur when there are bends in all 3 toe joints (base, middle and end)